Noah....1 year later.

Last week I took Noah in for his 1 year check-up. I arrived feeling very upbeat and excited! I have been doing quite a bit of reflecting on how far Noah has come in only a year and I am so proud of him! But I left the appointment feeling a bit deflated, and one phrase stuck in my head....."failure to thrive."
Yup, his doctor called him "failure to thrive" solely based on the fact that he has not "caught up" on the growth chart as fast as he would like to see. In the words of a good friend of mine {who by the way is a nurse}, What!?...That's Stupid! I couldn't agree more. He is still not on the chart, just following along nicely underneath, not a steeper curve, just mirroring it. But for the record, Noah weighs more than Ryder did at 1 year old. So here are his numbers in case you're wondering...

• Weight 14 lbs 12 oz
• Length 26 inches

Those numbers are amazing to me! He is 14x his birth-weight....AT A YEAR OLD! Lets do some quick math. A "normal" sized full-term baby born at lets say 7lbs...14x that birth-weight, would equal a 98lb 1 year old....anyone else concerned?! He has made remarkable growth if you ask me! So the doctors "solution" to our "problem"? Are you ready for this?.....HUMAN GROWTH HORMONES, a diet consisting of PediaSure 3x a day for 6 months, and for me to consider quitting breastfeeding. Have you seen the amount of sugar in 1 PediaSure? 19 grams. There's no way that could be better for him than feeding him stuff consisting of things carrots, beans, etc. so we are not doing the whole PediaSure thing, and not doing HGH either, but I did however quit nursing. Very emotional for me as I worked so hard to get/keep my milk supply, and am now realizing I will never breastfeed again.... :(
On a lighter note, Noah is an absolute joy to our family. Its so hard to believe he is the same sick little alien-looking thing that was in a plastic box just a short year ago. I often reflect back on where he was and remember feelings of hopelessness and despair as it was so hard to envision him doing the things he is excelling at now! He is crawling with remarkable speed, pulling himself up and walking along furniture, cabinets, etc. He can also stand alone for 5-10 seconds. He is waving and shaking his head "NO". Saying ba-ba and ma-ma and da-da. He has 3 teeth, and a few wisps of hair up top. Remarkable, and thriving.